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Monday, February 7, 2011

Smooch on the Hallmark Channel

This Saturday, February 11th is the premiere date of Smooch on the Hallmark Channel here in the states. This is a film inspired by The Frog King and suitable for the entire family. The link here is to the official site and the following are excerpts from articles about the movie. Yes, they are all rather derogatory over all, but these types of films always seem to get this kind of treatment in reviews. If this is your taste, it sounds like you will probably like it. I myself am interested to see Kiernan Shipka in something completely different from Mad Men.

Even on this ocean of uncertainty, however, "Smooch" retains a lighthearted charm. It's one of those movies that somehow manages to have something for everyone: the wistful child, the lonely lady, the handsome prince who knows something has been missing from his princely life, but has never been able to quite identify what it is.

Anyone slightly familiar with fairy tales will recognize all of this and know where it's going.

And, as kids say when you read them the same story for the thousandth time, so what?

Next Saturday, Hallmark debuts "Smooch" (7 p.m.), a romantic comedy loosely based on the Brothers Grimm short story "The Frog King."

The best thing about it? Actress Kiernan Shipka, the 11-year-old who plays Sally Draper on "Mad Men." She's adorable, and it's a relief to see her playing a generally happy child as opposed to her most famous character. Also, it was shot in San Francisco, where it's set, and Detroit, so "Smooch" benefits from a better on-location backdrop than many TV movies.

The worst thing about "Smooch"? It moves at a snail's pace — too much time spent watching people walk around — and it's entirely predictable. At best, it's cute pabulum.

Shipka plays Zoe, a girl who loves fantasy stories and happy endings. She believes a frog she rescued from a science class has turned into a prince (Simon Kassianides, "Quantum of Solace"). She brings home the man, who can't remember how he ended up disheveled in a park, and he's hired to be her nanny. Zoe also has a widowed mother (Kellie Martin, "Life Goes On"), so you can imagine where the story will go from there.

The film's theme, according to writer Howard Burkons, is the notion that love goes on, even if you lose the one you love, as Zoe's mother has.

"That love that you find in one romance can become part of who you are," Burkons said, "and that love can spread to touch other people, and through a child's imagination, anything is possible."